Wax

After a cursory web search, it might seem that not only can Maryland-born, SoCal-residing rapper Wax freestylethats about the extent of his arsenal. But from the sea of YouTube videos that launched his career, a record deal with Def Jam emerged last month alongside the pop-flavored DJ Skee-hosted mixtape that serves as his debut. Its title, Scrublife,does well to shed light on the aesthetic the MC chasesa former rocker who ended up in San Diego after his band (and love life) fell apart, he reps the opposite of excess, a contradiction to the jewel-encrusted rappers he grew up watching on MTV. From DUI odes to loves songs for the girl at your marijuana dispensary, its lifestyle music for an apartment littered with beer bottles. With SuperFire, City Hall. NICK FELDMAN